In What Industries are Workers Most Likely to Become Victims of Harassment in Mystic?

Workers in low wage industries like retail and food service are also likely to become victims of retaliation for reporting harassment.

Mystic, CT – While sexual harassment can potentially affect any worker in Connecticut, there are some industries where these illegal behaviors are more common. People who work in these fields should be especially vigilant about staying up to date with their harassment training and reporting any suspicious situations to their superiors. Regardless of a worker’s profession, federal and state sexual harassment laws protect them from certain illegal behaviors. 

Women in a few professions make up a large number of sexual harassment victims

Research has shown the most likely victims are females who work in restaurants, accommodations, and certain types of retail establishments. This is likely due to a combination of both the potential for harassment from coworkers and superiors, along with large volumes of customers who may never see the worker again in these fields. Service employees also sometimes have the stigma of being seen as low status, so they tend to face more mistreatment. Jobs with lower wages also tend to correlate with harassment, as women who work in higher paying professional fields seem to be less likely to experience workplace harassment. Customer service is sometimes seen as a field where poor treatment from clients and customers needs to be tolerated as part of the job, which complicates whether a victim feels that they should file a complaint or not. 

Retaliation against workers in low wage industries

Workers in low wage industries like retail and food service are also likely to become victims of retaliation for reporting harassment. This means that they may have their position terminated or face other forms of punishment for asserting their rights. Retaliation against workers is always illegal, however it is not always reported and many workers are not aware of relevant labor laws. Anyone who believes that they are experiencing retaliation can contact a lawyer and it may be possible to file a lawsuit against the employer.

Other industries where harassment happens

Healthcare is another industry with lots of harassment claims. This is likely due to the large number of female workers and the long periods of time spent interacting with patients from various backgrounds. Some other areas with high claim volumes include manufacturing, social services, educational workers, construction workers, and transportation workers. 

However, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission believes that this data may be skewed or incomplete. That is because they estimate that less than ten percent of all harassment that happens in the United States is formally reported, and many workers are unaware of their rights.

Help from a local labor attorney

USAttorneys.com is a directory that lists American lawyers by state and practice area. Attorneys are available to handle sexual harassment issues in Mystic and other types of lawsuits.